At just 17 years old, Moore Kismet is already making history in their career. In the last year alone, the fast-rising DJ became one of the youngest artists to ever play two massive festivals (Lollapalooza and EDC, respectively). They also signed to Thrive for their forthcoming debut album, and most recently, collaborated with Canadian singer-songwriter Tate McRae to write their latest single. Plus, they did all of it while finishing up their senior year of high school.

“Here I am, in these classes doing this work, trying to make it by to make sure I graduate and get my diploma,” says Omar Davis, the person behind the Moore Kismet persona, chatting with Billboard shortly after getting out of school for the day. “And I’m looking at these photos of me performing like, ‘F–k, is that me?’ It’s so hard for me to believe sometimes that I did in fact do these things.”

While Davis may still be in disbelief over their rapid rise to success (Davis identifies as non-binary and uses “they/them” pronouns), they are still certainly looking for their next challenge. Earlier this month, for example, Davis unveiled the new Moore Kismet video for “Parallel Heartbreak,” a moody, groovy track about  a relationship that’s going suspiciously well. The video wasn’t just Davis’s first official music video for Moore Kismet — it marked their first time getting to sit in the director’s chair.

Davis says that getting to direct “Parallel Heartbreak” was both about their love of screenwriting and film, and their desire to be a part of each step in the release process for their music. “I’ve always wanted to be hands-on with my music videos for the Moore Kismet project,” they say. “I have very precise visions for what I want to do. I try to translate my vision to the videos, and that’s something I’ve been pushing the crap out of my team on.’

With all of their successes as of late, Davis is certainly grateful that the dance community has accepted them with open arms. “It’s so great to now see more black people and more trans people and other LGBTQ people getting these opportunities in the dance space,” they say. But, they add, there’s still plenty more work to do to make the community more welcoming. 

“I do think there’s still way more work to be done so that the door can be fully open. Because right now, it’s barely cracked open,” they say. “I think it’s only starting to become more open because other Black queer people are getting booked for these events like Lolla and EDC — and take that with a grain of salt, because it also doesn’t happen often that queer people get booked for events like that.”

So, how does Davis stay positive and keep inspiring themselves to create new music as Moore Kismet? Billboard asked Davis to spotlight some of their favorite Black creators in honor of Black History Month — below, Davis shares five artists that fuel his creative inspiration on a day-to-day basis. “People like these folks, as black people, continue to inspire me to keep thinking outside of the box, and continue to not be afraid to experiment in my music,” they say. 

Kilamanzego

“Kilamanzego is seriously one of the most insanely creative people I have ever met. Her sound design is off the charts — she’s somehow able to combine these crazy arpeggiated melodies with these beautiful chords and dreamy soundscapes, and then glitch it all out and put this massive beat over it, making it all mesh so beautifully well. It’s so beautiful and so chaotic, and that’s what I love about her music. It’s inspiring to see her in her own lane!”

Chromonicci

“[Kilamanzego and Chromonicci] are two of my best friends, honestly. They are so inspiring and have encouraged me to be more open with my art. Chromonicci … that man is taking electronic music and blending it with R&B and bounce so perfectly. I love everything he puts out, I’ve never had an issue with it. I’ve always bounced to it in my chair, I’ve always headbanged and vibed with it, his music just really gets me going. That’s incredibly special. It makes me feel so happy listening to him.” 

Laxcity

“He is one of the most versatile and creative producers I have ever had the pleasure of meeting with and collaborating with a multitude of times. He’s so sweet, and his personality exemplifies his music — it’s just so consistent. His mixing is so beautiful, his melodies, his chords, the way he constructs arrangements; it makes me so happy to know that there is somebody else in this world just like me that is so meticulous and so on point with what they make. I love him so much.”

Chuck Sutton

“Chuck truly inspires me on a day to day basis, not just because of his music, but because of whoo he is as a person. He inspires me to think creatively and think outside the box every single day, regardless of whatever I do musically or artistically. His music is so beautifully blended between jazz, R&B and electronic pop. It’s so insane when you listen to one of his songs, because it’s gorgeous and freaky at the same time.”

Big Freedia 

“To be real, I want to have a solo collab with Big Freedia so bad. Not one where I’m like the last feature on the entire record, this one I want just me and her. She’s so amazing, I love her so much, and she’s not afraid of being a goofball, either! I love that, because me and mom are gigantic goofballs, and we love to share that energy and that happiness, and it makes me so happy to see other people so clearly experiencing black joy like that.”